Design and Construction
Rhodes kept the draft exceptionally shallow for a heavy-ballasted boat while widening the beam for roominess and comfort, and the result is a high displacement ratio with ample ballast that makes the Vanguard very stable in heavy going yet surprisingly nimble in light airs. The single-skin hull was laid up with generous laminations of 1½-ounce mat and 24-ounce woven roving, while the deck is balsa-cored with the core terminated several inches from the rail so stanchions and cleats land on solid glass anchor. The hull-to-deck joint is a simple sealed and through-bolted flange, and the lead ballast castings were set in a resin bed inside the hollow keel and glassed over. The interior was built of plywood taped to the hull, with a molded fiberglass inner liner for the overhead and vinyl on the hull sides; the cabin sole is teak over plywood. A solid teak compression post sits on the head side of the forward bulkhead, which is why the forward cabin door is offset to starboard.
Rig and Handling
Despite being called a full-keel boat, the Vanguard carries generous overhangs, a cutaway forefoot, and a raked rudderpost that reduce lateral area and let it turn on a dime, according to reader surveys anchor. Backing down is dreadful because of the keel-hung rudder and prop in the aperture. The sail plan favors a large mainsail and small foretriangle, so the boat likes to carry a big headsail longer than modern practice would dictate; if the main is not reefed before the headsail is reduced, a wicked weather helm develops that makes tiller steering a struggle. Some owners have added bow platforms to move the headstay forward and tame that helm. The boat was meant to sail at about 15 degrees of heel for best efficiency, and one owner reported making three knots to windward in 50 knots with a storm jib and trysail. A small number of Vanguards were delivered as yawls.
Accommodations
Below, the Vanguard sleeps six in comfort with two separate staterooms and an extra-roomy cockpit above. The main cabin holds a starboard settee/berth with a pipe berth over and a port extension settee that pulls out to a full-width single with a pilot berth outboard, giving four sea berths; berth lengths are all just over six feet. The stepped coachroof yields about 6 feet 5 inches of headroom in the main cabin, with marginal 6-foot-plus clearance in the head and forward cabin. Two interior plans exist: a standard aft galley with the engine under the sink and no oven provision, and a dinette layout with a three-burner stove/oven but a sink that will not drain with the rail down on port tack, risking overflow into stowage and bilge. The head is small but has an aluminum fold-down sink, and the boat offers an excellent galley area and abundant storage.
Known Issues
The in-situ icebox was built from plywood and Styrofoam, producing thermal leaks, poor insulation, and excess weight. The resin bed under the ballast is brittle and gives little protection from a grounding, and voids around the ballast were filled with assorted materials including balsa that can wick water if the keel is holed anchor. The welded steel mast step bolted to the deck has a useful life of about twenty years before rust takes it. The standard Atomic 4 gasoline engine sat under the sink in the aft-galley plan or under a bridgedeck box in the dinette; access was tight either way.
Ownership and Refit
Most Vanguards weigh roughly 1,500 pounds above designed displacement, something to keep in mind when judging performance against the book numbers. Bronze barrel-type seacocks serve the through-hulls, and the fuel and water are carried in Monel: 21 gallons of gas sit beneath the cockpit footwell while 45 gallons of water lie under the main cabin sole. The vinyl hull-side covering and imitation teak-grain laminates have been popular home-renovation targets, and the bow-platform fix for weather helm shows how owners have adapted the CCA-era rig to modern expectations.
The Verdict
The Vanguard is a Rhodes-styled cruiser with real cruising volume, a shoal draft that opens shallow waters, and a docile manner in a blow. Its weaknesses are concentrated in period construction details — the icebox, mast step, and keel ballast bed — that a careful survey and targeted refit can address. For a sailor who wants traditional looks with six-berth accommodations and a proven record, it remains a sensible small-yacht choice.
Pros
- Shallow 4-foot-6 draft with heavy-ballast stability for cruising
- Roomy two-stateroom layout sleeping six with 6-foot-5 main cabin headroom
- Forgiving in deteriorating weather; can claw to windward in 50 knots
- Wide deck walkways and extra-roomy cockpit aid safe sail handling
Cons
- Brittle ballast resin bed and balsa void fillings vulnerable to grounding damage
- Steel mast step rusts out around twenty years and needs replacement
- Poor backing-down manners and vicious weather helm if sailed with main unreefed
- In-situ icebox poorly insulated and heavy; dinette sink floods port tack down
